Illinois Education Benefits

This new benefit will cover the full cost of education at any public school in the country and many private schools. To qualify for the benefits, a veteran has to have served at least 90 days of active duty post-9/11 and have remaining entitlement. Only post-9/11 active duty service counts toward this benefit. Any remaining Chapter 30 or 1607 entitlement can be converted into this new education benefit. There is no requirement to buy in to qualify, and the benefits last for 15 years after separation.

The Cummins Scholarship was created in memory of James F Cummins and Mildred Shattuck Cummins by Marjorie and Clyde Anderson whose desire was to support those who have sacrificed for their country.

Awarded to full-time undergraduate students who served or are currently serving in a branch of the United States Military. In addition, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign undergraduate students whose mother or father was a member of the military and lost his or her life in service to their country are also eligible to apply for the scholarship. Previous recipients must re-apply every year.

The First Responder Program is an educational degree program offered by Benedictine University which allows first responders of Illinois (fire and police personnel, as well as Iraqi and Afghan veterans) access to affordable and quality higher education. The First Responder Program is FREE! There are no tuition costs for undergraduate degree programs, and Masters programs are half-tuition. The only expenses incurred by the first responder are the application, book and graduation fees. All Illinois Iraqi and Afghan veterans, fire and police personnel that are not contracted with the fire or police district are eligible to participate in the degree programs.

Dependents of a veteran who has been declared by the Department of Defense or U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to be a prisoner of war; missing-in-action; to have died as the result of a service-connected disability; or be permanently disabled from service-connected causes with 100% disability; and, who was an Illinois resident or was an Illinois resident within six months of entering service may be eligible for the scholarship. Eligible dependents are entitled to full payment of tuition and certain fees to any state supported Illinois institution of higher learning consisting of the equivalent of four (4) calendar years of full-time enrollment including summer terms (i.e., 120 points).

Financial aid is provided annually to each child between the ages of 10 and 18 years of a veteran who died or became totally disabled as a result of service in the Armed Forces during World War I, or II, the Korean and Vietnam Conflicts or beginning February 1, 1955, until such individuals are no longer eligible for induction under the Universal Military Training and Service Act. The financial aid applies to a state educational institution of elementary grade, high school or vocational training school.

For undergrad or graduate school. You must be a permanent resident of the Illinois county from which you apply and you must be the natural or legally adopted child of the veteran on whose service your application is based. The tuition waiver can be used at any University of Illinois campus (Urbana-Champaign, Chicago, the Health Sciences Center, Springfield, or Global Campus). The priority deadline to apply is March 1, 2008. Recipients for the tuition waivers will be determined in the following manner: The child of a deceased veteran will be awarded the tuition waiver. If two or more candidates meet this criterion, the candidate with the highest composite ACT score will be selected. If the parents of all the candidates are living, the child of a disabled veteran will be awarded. If two or more candidates meet this criterion, again, the highest ACT composite score will be used to make the determination. If the veteran parents of all candidates are living and none are disabled, the tuition waiver will be awarded to the candidate with the highest ACT composite score.

Up to six waivers per county are awarded each year; one for each of the following conflicts: WWII, Korean Conflict, Vietnam Conflict , Southeast Asia Conflict, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom.